Shaft-coupling.



PATENTED AUG. 20, 1907.

A. 0. LBININGER. SHAFT COUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 20, 1907.

27m ZZZ WITNESSES [NV/551701? I I AI'TTORNE y;

' js'r s PATENT oFFIon.

ANTON e. LEININ'GER, or DE PERE, WISCONSIN.

SHAFT-COUPLING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 20, 1907.

Application filed April 20,1907? Serial No. 869,297-

' two shafts with less shock than other forms of shaft coupling. 1

' In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is an 7 'tion of two shafts provided with the improved raft vl coupling,,dis connected. Fig.2 is a vertical lon itn' dinal sectional view, enlarged, of thetwo coupling members in operative position. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the two coupling members separated to show the connecting faces.

Similar numerals of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.

On any suitable base 1 are secured as uitable number v of bearings 2 for the driving shaft 3, other bearings 4 give support to the driven shaft 5. The two shafts 3 and 5 areplacedin the same axial line as shown but separated from each other at their ends. Slidably mounted on the driving shaft 3 is a coupling member 6, facing a second coupling member '7 keyed. fast on the end of the driven shaft 5. The coupling member 6 is pro/sided with a hub 8 having a peripheral groove 9 foraring 10, here shown as a two-part ring,

each part having a lug' ll at each end which, when the parts are placed in the groove 9, are united by bolts or screws 12. Fixed to the driving shaft 2 by a key 13 a tubular bearing and abutment Mwhich easily enters cylindrical longitudinalopening 15 in the'member 6 of greater diameter than the shaft 3. The opening does not extend entirelythrough the member 6111. this excess diameter, but near-the inner end its diameter is reduced as at 16' to that of the "shaft 3 on which it is adapted to slide in a longitudinal direction. Feathers 17 connect the member 6 with the shaft to insure its rotation therewith, but permit its endr 2' movement. The end of the abutment 14 always r within the opening 15, and thus serves as a bearing outer end of the hub. A spiral spring 18 is placed in the opening 15 bearsagainst the inner end of the abutment and the bottom of the opening to cause the member 6 to move toward the end of the driving shaft when unrestrained.

A hand lever 19 with forked ends 20 is pivoted by said forked ends to the base 1 and is provided with pins 21 seated in sockets in the ring 10 in well known manner.

A spring catch 22 fastened to one of the bearings 2 curves over the'member 6 and, after passing through an opening in the hand lever 6 is furuisl'i'ed with a handle 23 for operating the spring catch. An offset 24 is formed on the spring catch to hold the hand lever when it has been moved to disengage the member (3 from the member 7. A flange 25 surrounds the outer end of the member 6 and is recessed at 26 on its outer side to admit'the end of the member '7 on the driven shaft. Within the circular recess 26 formed a plurality of lugs, two being shown in the drawing and numbered 27 and 28. Between the lugs 27 and 28 are two depressions 29 and 30. Each lug in the construction shown, occupies a space of ninety degrees or one-fourth the circumference of the recess. The

"depressions are of equal extent. The faces of the lugs 27 and 28 are inclined to the plane of the face of the flange, as are the depressions 29 and 30. The inclined faces of the lugs and depressions hear such relation to eachother that one edge31 of each lug stands a greater distance above the depressions than the other edge 32, the purpose of this construction will be .described later.

1 projecting lugs 33 and 34 adapted to enter the depressions 29 and when the members are in engagement. The lugs 33 and are of the same size as the deprcssions 29 and 30 and have their faces beveled at the same angle as the bottoms of the depressions. The face of the member '7 between the lugs 33 and 34 is also beveled as at 35 and 36 in the same angular planes as the lugs 27 and 28 on the member 6. The edges 37 and 38 of each lug 33 and 34 on the member 7 has the same width as the corresponding edges 31 and 32 of the lugs 27 and 28 on the member 6. As thus constructed when the member 6 is brought into Contact with member 7, the lugs on each member will most probably strike first and the inclined faces of the lugs on the member 1 will slide over the similarly inclined faces of the lu gs on the member 7 until the said lugs arrive opposite the spaces between opposite lugs when, under the force of the hand lever 19 or spring 18, the lugs enter the spaces andthe edges 31 and 37 engage and rotate the shaft Shouldit be necessary to revolve'the shaft 3 in the opposite direction the narrow edges 32 of the lugs 27 and 28 will engage the narrow edges 38 of the lugs 33 and 34 and oppositely rotate the lease the lever, the spiral spring 18 will immediately force the clutch member 6 toward and into engagement with the clutch member 7.

When the driving shaft is traveling in its normal direction the broader edges 3]. and 37 of the respective clutch members 6 and 7 are in engagement and hold with great firmness, but it the driving shaft be reversed as in automobiles, and auto-boats, the narrow edges 32 and 38 of said 'elutch members will engage with a sutlieieut degree of firmness to rotate the driven slaft backwards. A

Having thus described the invention what is claimed is:-

1. The combination of a continuously rotating shaft and an intermittently rotating shaft in axial line, a clutch member tixed to one shaft, an abutment bearing keyed to the other shaft. and a second elutch member haviug a here at its forward end slidable on its shaft hnd a larger bore in its rear end to slide on said abutment: hearing, and a spring in the larger bore bearing against the abutment and tending to move the sliding clutch member towards the lixed clutch member.

2. The combination of a continuously rotating shaft, and an intermittently rotating-shaft in axial line, a clutch member fixed to one shaft, an abutment bearing keyed to the other shaft, a second clutch member feathered on the end of the second shaft; and slidable longitudinally thereon and on said abutment bearing, a spring within said second clutch member seated against said abutment bearing and tending to move said second clutch member towards the first clutch member, and an operating lever for said second 

